Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig (D-Spokane) released this
statement following the adjournment of the 2019 legislative session, the first
105-day session to end on time since 2009 and the second year in a row the
Legislature has adjourned as scheduled:

“In the two years since Democrats retook control of the Senate, we
have worked hard to pass legislation that puts people first and ensures more
people have access to a quality education, health care, clean air and water and
create an overall better quality of life.

“We finished our work on time. We made sure diverse voices were
heard throughout the legislative session. And we will continue to ensure every
Washingtonian has an opportunity to succeed.

“This year we made historic investments in health care, behavioral
health, higher education and the environment — and kept our promise to
Washington’s 1.1 million students through additional investments in schools in
every corner of our state.

“We committed our state to a path toward 100% clean energy,
adopted the nation’s first public health care option, and became the first
state to adopt publicly-funded long-term care.”

“For the first time since
I’ve been in the Legislature, we made meaningful reforms to our state’s broken
tax structure, ensuring that new investments in programs that benefit all
Washingtonians won’t be disproportionately paid for by low- and middle income
families.

“We made meaningful steps to
ensure that the wealthiest Washingtonians start paying their fair share, but I
will be the first to say we still have miles ago to fix our broken tax code.

“I am so proud of our team and the work we’ve done and what we’ve accomplished for each and every Washingtonian.”